Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Where Are The New Albums? January 2013 Update

It's the 2nd, so it's time for our first monthly feature post of 2013, that being this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Little is different this month, but we do have an additional album to add that has begun production, and another band's entry has been updated to reflect new information (denoted by the album title in italics.) As always, this monthly series looks at the information, statuses, and background of upcoming Sault Ontario metal/hard rock albums, so where exactly are they right now? Read on below to find out!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------As It Stands' third EP

Background:Continuing
their high success levels since their local re-emergence in
2010, hardcore quintet As It Stands started recording sessions
for their third EP with Metalworks Studios in Mississauga in July 2011 with producer Kevin Dietz.
The sessions lasted just a few days, but from what I hear, a
lot got accomplished! You can see some of the happenings from
the sessions on their official studio vlog,
which features some audio samples and video of some members
recording their parts. The vlog also confirmed that their cover of
Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" was recorded in
Mississauga, and that the songs will be part of an EP, not a full
length album as was previously believed. It's currently unclear
whether the songs they recorded at Stereo Soul Studios
in 2010 and/or in Stoney Creek in 2011 will be featured on the
EP in some form. A new track named "Oh Herm, Herm Delish"
was posted onto SoundCloud in early 2012, with studio copies of "Conception" & "Big Problem, Little Lock City" also being uploaded to their Facebook page this year, both of which you can stream at this location.
Mixing was underway locally with Brendan Clace at the former Dimension
Studios, so stay tuned for more news on this EP soon!

Current Release Status:
As It Stands seemed to have everything under control and well
planned for the sessions and their studio work, and though nothing
concrete has been explicitly said about it's release, things seem on
track, despite recent delays and absences of updates. When might we see
this EP? I don't know, especially with their recent slowdown in news
and the closure of Dimension Studios, but keep an eye out for
any possible updates!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Bear Hunters' full length demoRumoured Songs:
"Bloodthirst", "Succumb To Eternity", "Dominate",
"Overthrown", "Casualties Of War", "Collapse The Sun", "Render
This Void", "Karma", "Deception"

Background:Local
death metal quintet The Bear Hunters formally announced that
they'd begun recording for their debut EP "Bloodthirst" in May 2011,
just days after adding guitarist Josh Stephney to the band. The
news was broken on their Facebook page,
but details were extremely scant following that news, and the
recording plans fell dormant until January, when the band announced
plans to record material towards a full length demo release. This
appears to be an independent
production towards future better quality recordings, and plans are in
place to release official band t-shirts along with the demos when
completed. Plans are
for this demo (which won't be "slapped together") to feature at least
10 songs, and though progress has been made towards completions,
setbacks (including a dead computer) have pushed back a planned release,
including their non-album cover of Woods of Ypres' "Kiss My Ashes
(Goodbye)". Stay tuned to the band's Facebook page for continued
updates!

Current Release Status:
Though things seem to have been delayed from original expectations,
recordings for the demo are ongoing as per their Facebook page. Recent
band news has been slow at best, and no new timeline is out for the
release of it beyond before "the end of the world", but they seem to
have things in
good order, so keep an eye out for updates on official Bear Hunters
media as it comes in!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gates of Winter - Perihelion(?)

Background: Despite
a hiatus from live concerts lasting 4 years, Gates of
Winter never broke up, and are slowly working on their follow-up
to 2008's "Lux Aeterna". The first glimpse of the new album
was unveiled in February 2010, when frontman/producer Lee Maines uploaded a snippet of their new song "The Stars Call My True Name" onto his YouTube channel,
and he followed that up with more demo & rehearsal clips
sporadically over the last couple of years, though all were later taken
down. The band launched a new Facebook page
in August 2010 to keep fans updated on the sessions, including
the unveiling of a new song title, "Time Warp", and while Sault
native Jon Morrison
was announced as the album's drummer that fall, they are currently
looking for a new session drummer. In November 2011, bassist Steve
Furgiuele confirmed in a YouTube video
that the album, now titled "Perihelion", was planned for release
in
December 2012, with some older re-recordings likely for the
summer, but Lee confirmed last month that the album would be delayed
further, be retracted to EP length, and likely be renamed. Another new
song, tentatively called "Wormhole Mechanics",
was previewed in this video
that Lee uploaded as well last year. Whether Jon or
ex-keyboardist Brian Holmes will be included in some capacity on the EP is currently unknown.

Current Release Status: According to Lee's posting on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group
relating to their session drummer search, he's hoping for the work to
be done "within the next 4-12 months", which lines up with postings
about delays for the EP. Personal commitments and the like have slowed
things down incredibly, but good art takes time, and knowing Gates of
Winter's
talent and attention to detail, they won't wanna release this until
everything's perfect, so keep an eye out for updates!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Haggith- "Deuce" & "Flight 75"

Background: A new local grunge act formed last May, this band featuring 20 Pack of Marshmallows & Acention alumni alongside local solo artist Mike Haggith
have quickly began work on album releases, already putting out their
first two formally this fall. Announcements, previews, and photos from
the studio and sessions have
made it to their Facebook page
over the last couple months for both older releases and upcoming
albums, including their planned third studio album "Deuce" (possibly
their first to feature bassist Caleb Cachagee on most tracks), and a
live album named "Flight 75" (as recorded at their Bushplane Musical
Madness concert in November), which has already been posted online in full to stream. Both are expected to be released through
the band's independent label PaperClip Productions. Keep tuned
in to Haggith's online pages for further updates!

Current Release Status: "Flight 75" is slated for it's full release this month (exact date unknown), which should be well anticipated by fans! "Deuce" isn't quite as clear yet for a release timeframe, but with Haggith operating on a similar
prolific
schedule as Mike Haggith does solo, a quick release is more than possible! Keep an eye out for updates!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Background: Slated to be Haggith drummer/namesake Mike Haggith's 46th solo album, the oddly titled "Present Din" was announced on Mike's solo Facebook page on December 19th, where he revealed that the album would be lighter than his latest release "Neighbourhood Watch, though with slower piano based james and occasional heaviness. Planned to be released through Galactic Records with possible input from the Haggith band's label PaperClip Productions, the album's artwork and instrumental mixes of three songs have been revealed via Facebook, but any further details are likely forthcoming, so be on the lookout!

Current Release Status: Good but still unclear. Mike's output is prolific and often quick, but some albums can take longer than expected (i.e. "Neighbourhood Watch".) I'd expect to see "The Present Din" out in 2013, but stay tuned for more specifics as work continues on it!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Shit Liver's debut EP

Background: Curiously
not plugged at all on their online pages, I have heard from those close
to the band that local grimecore trio Shit Liver are independently
working on a debut EP which is supposed to have 14 songs (knowing how
short most of their songs are, that's not a typo.) I can confirm that
there are unmastered recordings of at least some of the album tracks
floating around, but as they have not publically acknowledged EP plans
online, it's not clear how far along they are, but I'll keep you guys
updated if they say anything!

Current Release Status:
Your guess is as good as mine. Most bands that stay mum on
recording plans are behind schedule or not proceeding further, but from
what I have heard, Shit Liver are well into the recording process and
have finished up at least much of the material. That said, they have played just one public concert since June, and any other updates have been incredibly
slow since, but hopefully we hear some
big news on this front soon!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sykotyk Rampage - "Jonathon,
Your Music Sucks!", "Sykotyk Ramp-age", "Anal Disruptions", "Smells
Real Good On A Bad Night", "The Cross", and "Will Do Anything,
Seriously?"

Rumoured Songs: "Roll A Doobie"

Background: On May 6th, "the original crash band" Sykotyk Rampage unveiled plans to release no less than six
new albums this year, mirroring the announced output of material from
last year. Though little is known yet on the material for these albums
beyond the album covers on their Facebook page,
these six will push Sykotyk Rampage's discography to 35 releases in
total, and all will feature 11-12 tracks. Similarly to their recent
albums, it's expected that these new albums are or will be recorded with
their current lineup at River Front Recreation Studios, and they'll
likely be put on sale and/or uploaded for free streaming on their Reverbnation page
when they're actually released. Aside from a potential album track
named "Roll A Doobie" on Reverbnation, no song identities or media have
been publically released yet (though guitarist Dirk Becker has mentioned
them as being finished when referring to their discography), but stay
tuned for updates on all of Sykotyk
Rampage's new albums as information comes in!

Current Release Status:
These albums were listed on Facebook as coming out "this summer" last year, which
has came & went. This isn't anything new though, as
many of Sykotyk Rampage's recent albums have been delayed by as much as 8
months for their public release/posting. I'd love to see some or all of these come out soon, but a wait
& see attitude might be the best route to take. No matter what
though, keep an eye out for plenty of Sykotyk Rampage material
(hopefully) this year!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tym Morrison's second solo album

Background: I
honestly don't know a lot about the background for Tym
Morrison's second album, but he has posted samples of nine songs
for his "next album" onto the music player on his official website.
The songs are all of good quality, and feature Tym in
familiarly good form! Original information about recording
sessions for his solo album are either very sparse or were made
quite a while ago, so I don't know a lot about it, but the
songs were likely self-recorded at Morrison Studio Productions
with Tym on all instruments save for the programmed drums. He's
worked on the album sporadically since, including scattered song
postings (including some of a comedic or acoustic nature) and Facebook
hints at a double album release, but it's unknown how close we are to
seeing a second Tym Morrison album release, or if all of the originally
announced songs will make the cut, but keep an eye out!

Current Release Status:
I don't have any real idea, but the song postings from this
summer hint towards good things! Hopefully Tym does release
these songs in the near future, as his older samples and newer
material deserve an audience, but for now, check out the above
links to hear what he has to share that could make the cut!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Winkstinger's debut EP

Background: Little is publically known about this EP, but Winkstinger initially confirmed on March 15th on their Facebook page
that recording had begun. Anything else from official band pages is
open-ended or minimal, but guitarist Jesse Cook has also kept fans
posted on the recording sessions for the band's first EP on his personal
Facebook page, noting that recording took place from the 15th through
the 27th, with mixing done and some lyric finalization left. I assume
this EP is being self-produced and recorded, but again, the band
hasn't said much publically about it or it's possible track listing,
length, release formats, or anything else. In May, the band posted 5
demos from the sessions onto their new SoundCloud page,
so stream them there in advance of the full release! Whether ex-rhythm
guitarist Jason Ladouceur's recordings will remain on the final product
or be redone by his replacement Anthony Orazietti is not publically
known yet.

Current Release Status:
I'm not sure, especially with the limited public information
as of yet. A fall release made sense once, but band updates have been
slow in recent months, with Winkstinger not playing a public live
concert since July. No
matter what though, I'm curious to hear more of Winkstinger's creative
and often amusing material in studio form, so hopefully this does
come out relatively soon! Stay tuned for updates!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------